Denver Catholic

CATHOLIC LIFE I 9 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I AUGUST 14, 2013 Biblical, Catechetical schools new offerings to explore art, virtue and apologetics ph Polsh food m. Aug. ith folk nd and ike posa (sauAdmis- hat Cold when Marek BY MARY CATHERINE MEYER Responding to a crucial time for the Catholic Church in an increasingly anti-Christian world, Denver's Catholic Biblical School and Catechetical School are offering three new courses that focus on integrating Catholic teaching into daily life. "People can learn something about the faith and live the faith more deeply," said Ben Akers, director of the both the Biblical and Catechetical Schools. "Apologetics for the New Evangelization" was previously available to graduate students from the Biblical School but will now be available to anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic Church's basic topics and themes. "The teacher will cover topics like 'Theology of the Body'...'Mary and the Rosary' and 'Politics and Public Life,'" explained Akers. "The class will be taking controversial topics and giving students tools for defending what the Church teaches." Although the Biblical School has for 30 years offered a fouryear program that leads students from Genesis to Revelation, and the Catechetical School has provided a similar course on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, these three new courses will allow people oly andto pick and choose their courses individually. ww.uhl A study of beauty, "Sacramental Imagination—Theology through Art" is another of e.filby@the classes to be offered this Registerfall. The class centers on the power of beauty in drawing people to truth, covering authors like Flannery O'Connor, Graham Greene and composers such as Mozart and Bach. It will explore painting, architecture, sculpture and the more modern art of film—all illuminating the Catholic Church's w... tradition of beauty throughout history. Akers said the school received positive feedback re. garding its pilot class on beauty last year and affirmed its pertinence to the school's mission. Living the Catholic faith more deeply implies living well another of this fall's inaugural classes, which will explore virtue. "It's what Pope Benedict has called 'The Art of Living,'" said , E Akers of the course, subtitled "Mastering the Virtuous Life." "The first way to witness to the Gospel, to witness to truth, beauty and goodness is by living 'the good life.' And the good life is living in virtue," he said. Teachers and students will examine the writings of philosophers like Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. Beginning Sept. 9 and concluding May 23, classes will meet weekly around the Denver area, taught by a variety of instructors who have earned their master's or doctorate degrees in Scripture or similar fields. Akers said the message of Pope Francis to love and evangelize has attracted many people—Christian and non-Christian alike—stimulating their questions about Catholic teaching. "People are going to start asking us questions and we need to be ready for that," he said. Regarding tuition fees and the time commitment required of students, Akers explained, "Budgets are tight and time is even tighter, but I don't think anyone will regret taking a course and learning more about the faith. "The more you know someone, the more you will fall in love. And it's analogous with the faith." Details and registration information may be found online at www.sjvdenver.edu/ catechetical-school and www. sjvdenver.edu/biblical-school. GUEST COLUMN BY MARY CATHERINE MEYER Enlightened by my first encyclical For a long time, I was afraid to read literature from the Vatican, to read the words of our scholarly popes. Believing that encyclicals were meant for historians, academics and religious, but not for me, I was wary around the dialect of doctrines and councils. I did not want to reduce my relationship with Christ to an intellectual study. But I have read Pope Francis' encyclical, "Lumen Fidei"—my first encyclical—because it came time to let go. And praise God, for "The Light of Faith" is pure, clear and insightful— much like a spring morning. It is not about doctrines or councils but about living life more abundantly, living in Christ. The letter is addressed to each of us, and it is just as much an illumination of faith as it is a lesson in light. Pope Francis first addresses the idea of many enlightenment-style thinkers—that to have faith is to step back into the dark. Although it is safer and simpler to recognize the threads of this falsehood in today's society, I must also let its remnants in my own life be uncovered. "Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love," writes Pope Francis, "a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives." Encountering the living God awakens our entire beings. The pope writes: "Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see; we realize that it contains a great promise of fulfillment, and that a vision of the future opens up before us." Faith is our "mother," Pope Francis teaches, and Christ our Father. Our pope's humility and clarity amazed me throughout my reading. I began to ask myself, What was I so afraid of? Although I am humbled to admit that "Lumen Fidei" is the first encyclical I have read See Meyer, Page 20 Finally, PEACE OF MIND for homeowners 62+ years old. 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